Tax preparation is compliance work. It files an accurate return based on what already happened during the year. Tax planning is strategic work, structuring decisions, transactions, and timing while the year is still open. Most businesses receive both from their CPA, but the planning side carries almost all of the financial impact. Reactive preparation alone tends to miss opportunities that proactive planning would have captured, because by filing time those choices are closed.

No, and a practice that does is limited to reporting rather than advising. We work through the year so decisions get evaluated in real time. That covers entity changes, major purchases, transactions, hiring across state lines, and anything with a timing element. Tax season then becomes an execution exercise rather than a year-end scramble, and the return reflects choices you made on purpose.

Usually at a complexity threshold rather than a revenue number. Multiple owners, operations in more than one state, or inventory each create questions a general preparer cannot answer well. So do research spend, a planned capital raise, and an industry with its own code section. A transaction on the horizon is the clearest trigger of all, since structure decided beforehand is worth far more than anything salvaged afterward.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act required capitalisation and amortisation of research costs rather than deduction. That applied to tax years beginning after December 31, 2021. Software development counted, so the rule reached well beyond laboratories. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act then created IRC Section 174A. That permanently restored immediate expensing of domestic research costs for tax years beginning after December 31, 2024. Foreign research still amortises over fifteen years. Domestic and offshore work therefore need separate tracking.

In most cases yes, through one of two routes. Any taxpayer may elect to deduct the remaining unamortised domestic costs. That election runs either in full in the first year under the new rule, or ratably across that year and the following one. Separately, smaller taxpayers meeting the gross receipts test under Section 448(c) may amend the affected returns directly. Which route delivers more depends on your taxable income and loss position. Post-2017 net operating losses offset only 80 percent of taxable income.

Yes. We handle nexus analysis, state registration, apportionment, sales and use tax, and the ongoing compliance burden. Multi-state exposure grew sharply after the Wayfair decision. Many businesses now have filing obligations in states where they have no physical presence at all. Remote employees, online revenue, and marketplace sales each create nexus on their own terms. Where exposure has already accrued, we unwind it through voluntary disclosure rather than waiting for a notice.

Federal tax planning and compliance, state and local tax, and individual returns for owners and partners. Then tax controversy and examination representation, plus deadline filings including Form 990 and Form 5500. Engagements run from a single project to an ongoing quarterly advisory relationship. Many clients pair tax work with outsourced CFO services, since the two questions usually arrive together.

Cannabis, technology and SaaS, life sciences, real estate, professional services, nonprofits, and PEOs. Each operates under rules that reshape the financial model rather than adjusting it at the margins. Examples include IRC 280E, Section 174A, passive activity limits, and unrelated business income. We also serve owners whose personal and business positions cannot be separated.

We start with an onboarding review covering prior-year returns, entity structure, and open notices. That surfaces both risk and missed opportunity, and it happens before you commit to anything. Next we request records from your existing accountant and agree a handover date. Most transitions happen between filing periods, though we regularly pick up mid-year where a return is outstanding or a deadline is at risk.